Hi again, James!  This is a continuation of my previous message:

JB>  A friend was well meaning, but petulant about miracle
JB>  cures. The last one was oregano oil extract. Until that
JB>  one, I could always say, "Done that." When I said that
JB>  I eat oregano in food, he said I should mass dose on it,
JB>  and if it wasn't true, they couldn't advertise it on
JB>  talk-radio. I had to tell him how gullible I thought he
JB>  was on that one.


           The less some folks understand about a particular issue, the
simpler it appears to them... and the more convinced they are that they
know what other folks should do!  I find it difficult to hold my tongue
when the same person is behaving the same way repeatedly.  Although the
subtlety might be lost on them, however, I would avoid using words like
"gullible".  I'd probably say something like "I don't
believe everything I hear [in the ads and/or on talk radio]."  If you
have already done so & your friend is persistent, you could try
emphasizing the unusual nature of your condition and/or telling him you're
reluctant to mix large doses of herbs or whatever with the drugs you're
already taking.  You may still find yourself getting nowhere fast... and
your friend may still feel hurt that you chose not to take his advice.  But
by commenting on your own feelings, rather than on his reasoning style, you
can avoid adding fuel to the fire.  ;-)



JB>  As for the family, I suppose they think - like I
JB>  used to - that I just had to be referred to the
JB>  right facility in California, and I'd be fixed.


           We've had various writers in this echo over the years who
dropped by to say a relative had been diagnosed with cancer... and, I
imagine, to find out if I would recommend a clinic in a nice warm climate! 
Most of them disappeared when I indicated that I thought the patient might
do better to stay as close to home as possible & recommended borrowing
some books from the library.  I'm glad to see that you've outgrown the need
to find a magical solution & that you also realize not all of the
people around you will have caught up yet, however.  :-)



JB>  I know they just want me to be my former self, as
JB>  do I to a degree, but what is done is done. Like
JB>  I wrote elsewhere a do-over would be nice, but that
JB>  rarely happens in real life.


           Yes... you probably couldn't go back to where you were anyway. 
As I said years ago, "normal" changed while I was occupied
elsewhere... [chuckle].



JB>  The tumour I had - as I understand it - today would
JB>  be left alone.


           Today lower doses of prednisone are also being used in the
treatment of pediatic leukemia.  I'm glad for the folks who don't have to
go through what we did... and I realize it was light years ahead of what
was available a couple of decades earlier.  I reckon we did as best we
could with what we had....  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+